9 Songs

Synopsis

Matt, a young glaciologist, soars across the vast, silent, icebound immensities of the South Pole as he recalls his love affair with Lisa. They meet at a mobbed rock concert in a vast music hall--London's Brixton Academy. They are in bed at night's end. Together, over a period of several months, they pursue a mutual sexual passion whose inevitable stages unfold in counterpoint to nine live-concert songs.

Matt, a young glaciologist, soars across the vast, silent, icebound immensities of the South Pole as he recalls his love affair with Lisa. They meet at a mobbed rock concert in a vast music hall--London's Brixton Academy. They are in bed at night's end. Together, over a period of several months, they pursue a mutual sexual passion whose inevitable stages unfold in counterpoint to nine live-concert songs.

Tech specs

Movie Reviews

A big fuss about nothing.

The fuss in the media, and by word of mouth, led me to want to see this
film. I have always had a deep interest in censorship, be it of film,
music, art or any freedom of expression.

I approached this film with the hope that it had been passed by the
censors because it had some kind of beautiful message or story to tell.
That the overall worth of the film had outweighed the controversy of
the sexual content and it was such a well made film that to deny it a
release would have been an injustice to film making.

But I was deeply disappointed. If you take away the explicit content of
the film, it has nothing. It says nothing. It goes nowhere.

It has no particular storyline or insight to offer, the sex scenes are
all it has to carry it. Without that it becomes nothing but a
collection of badly filmed concert footage. As for the musical artists
chosen, they are like the film..for twenty-somethings who think they
are being daring and are pushing the boundaries, but are walking the
safest path right down the middle of the road.

The characters are not developed at all, and what you do see and learn
of them makes them instantly unlikable. Neither are they particularly
attractive- which makes the sexual content unpleasant to watch. It may
be (slightly) graphic but those people watching only for the hope of a
sexual thrill will also be very disappointed.

I would much rather have seen this film without the graphic sexual
content, and a more satisfying storyline exploring the relationship
between the couple. As it is, it just lets you down in all areas.

It is put forward as a unique insight into a couples love making, but
comes across as the cold, functional sex of a one night stand. There is
not the passion, or the intensity, of a genuine loving relationship.

The film needed to be longer, to give time to develop the characters or
some kind of story and give the viewer something to grasp. The sixty
six minutes running time leaves you thinking "is that it?" and wanting
a refund- both of the money paid for the film and the hour of your life
you just wasted. It will remain notorious for its sexual content, and
continue to appeal to those who have not seen it. Once seen, it loses
any appeal.

This film is most likely to end up being passed around schools by
thirteen year old boys and skipped to the sex scenes, or more likely
the sex scenes downloaded from a peer to peer network.

I suppose the whole film does have one thing, an element of realism. It
is like watching a very expensively filmed home video but as everyone
knows other peoples lives may seem interesting at a distance, but close
up they are just as boring as your own.In this case, dull is an
understatement.

Maybe that is the point..but if this film does have one, it is very
cleverly disguised.

I really wanted to like this film. I really wanted it to be the ground
breaking, brave, work of artistic genius that the media promised.That
this was the film that would open the gates for a more honest era of
censorship.It isn't any of those things, the most interesting thing
about it is the question of how it was given a certificate..the biggest
question is why bother making it in the first place?

Reviewed by Chris_Docker 8 / 10

An anti-climax

This is a love-it-or-hate-it film, as reflected by the deep divisions
in critical response. It is a serious piece of film-making but there
are two major components that you may love or hate - extreme sexual
explicitness and modern rock music.

The rock music is mostly from live concerts. If the music that people
pogue and stage dive to is not for you, you probably won't want to sit
through an hour of it (check the soundtrack listings - Black Rebel
Motorcycle Club, Von Bondies, Salif Keita, Franz Ferdinand, Primal
Scream, Dandy Warhols, Goldfrapp, Super Furry Animals, Elbow - do you
recognise/like a few of them?) The sexual explicitness is a matter of
personal taste - and tastes in sexuality vary a lot. If you can
identify or empathise to some extent to this 20-some young couple and
feel comfortable seeing how their relationship develops through sex and
rock music you may, as I did, find it beautiful and intimate. The
lovemaking is so natural that it is in sharp contrast to the
fictionalised and very artificial sex scenes in mainstream films.
There's also some wonderful symbolism in contrasting shots and details
of Antarctica (connected to the daytime work of the main character).
It's also a triumph British cinema that the Censors have allowed it to
reach mainstream cinemas uncut.

Reviewed by SONNYK_USA 7 / 10

Possible the first pornographic 'date movie' that lacks the hardcore edge guys expect but does take mainstream ADULT movies to the next level - REAL sex!

How does a modern man recall his last 'love' relationship? In this
case, by the songs they shared together. The man in question is a
glaciologist who's airborne research over Antarctica spurs a
chronological series of memories broken up by nine LIVE concert
segments. To sum up the simplistic plot line of the flashbacks, the two
young lovers meet at a rock concert and then each major sex scene at
their Islington flat is punctuated with brief concert segments (shot
guerrilla-style with the couple in attendance).

Director Michael Winterbottom ("24 Hour Party People") has actually
done Hollywood (and Planned Parenthood) a service by taking out the
'fake' lovemaking scenes audiences have grown accustomed to and
replaced them with REAL sex, actual condoms IN USE, and a female (or
male) orgasm that hasn't been staged for dramatic effect.

Seriously, the porn industry should take note if this film has any
commercial success in the USA, because for my money I'd rather have my
human sexuality nicely photographed, lit well, and true-to-life than
filled with emotionally forced bad acting, flat lighting, and fake
orgasms (with even faker breasts). Name one porn movie with fantastic
helicopter shots of Antarctica's icy surface with a science lesson
tossed in too. Nada.

Best of all are the honest, first-rate acting performances from both
Brit acting veteran Kieran O'Brian ("24 Hour Party People") as 'Matt',
the very lucky older guy (age 31), and 'Lisa' (Margo Stilley), the
young American waif, who gets picked up at a rock concert one night at
London's Brixton Academy.

In England, where this film has already been released there was quite a
brouhaha as first-time movie actress Margo Stilley (age 21) supposedly
tried to have her name removed from the credits. Luckily, the scathing
reviews by the British press have worn off and the film is being
released in the USA with Margo credited and NO NC-17 rating.

Although a first-time principle actress, Margo's performance is
noteworthy in that her improvised dialogue not only rings true but it
speaks to the neuroses of many young 'wild' females way beyond the
Paris Hilton experience. She even creates a little comic relief when
confronting her 'boyness' in the bathroom mirror.

In retrospect, I don't think this film has the artistic merit of last
year's ode to eroticism (Bertolucci's "The Dreamers"), but director
Michael Winterbottom does make a compelling argument for taking sex
scenes to their natural conclusion. Adult audiences are gravitating
more and more to NC-17 rated movies (re: "The Brown Bunny," etc.) and
it may be time for local cinemas (and Hollywood) to grow up. Hey, if
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt really are lovers then why couldn't they
have 'condom sex' on screen for a change, and how much more of an
impact would that have on college-age adults practicing 'unsafe' sex
than thousands of hours of PSA's and sex-ed classes! Even if sex on the
big screen isn't your thing, this film is so pure in its intentions
it's practically a 'date movie' (except blind dates). Even the ladies
will enjoy the sensitive approach to the material as the sexual
exploits build from cunnilingus to some mild S&M, eventually
progressing to the de rigeur 'cum shot'. As I said, it's an ADULTS ONLY
experience, but one that might rekindle the sexual romance in your own
relationships and give you a forum to converse with your partner about
a sensitive subject (in America anyway).